TURIN – Juventus not only produced the biggest shock in the latest round of European fixtures, but again surprised by hiring club legend Andrea Pirlo as manager on Saturday.

 After exiting the Champions League on away goals having won 2-1 against Lyon, who had played one match since March before Friday, Juventus sacked unpopular, chain-smoking manager Maurizio Sarri. His replacement was far less rugged, the revered Italian midfielder Pirlo, a famously silky player who retired in 2017 from professional football and moved into the winemaking business. Pirlo had been hired as under-23 manager at Juventus for his first role in coaching a mere 10 days before.

  Sarri had received much criticism during this extended first season in charge in Turin, despite winning his first ever league title in management. The ex-banker, who only retired from his trading job in his early 40s to manage in the Italian lower leagues, was fired after failing to challenge for the Champions League and his uninspiring brand of football in the League campaign.  

 Juventus took on underdogs Lyon in the Champions League round of 16 on Friday evening, 1-0 down from the first leg. When Lyon scored a dubious penalty, the Italians would need three to qualify, but despite Cristiano Ronaldo scoring two, they ended the night with disappointment and ultimately failure in the eyes of the owners whose main desire is a first win in Europe’s top competition since 1996.

 The appointment of Pirlo, who played 164 times for the Italian giants between 2011 and 2015, came shortly after Sarri’s departure and was the talking point across social media in Italy. Perhaps Italy’s most famous footballer of the modern era, Pirlo won two Champions Leagues, the World Cup and made over 700 appearances in an historic career as a midfielder. Nonetheless the decision for him to be manager of such a large club raised many eyebrows, newspaper Il Corriere della Sera described it as a “radical choice”, given the fact he has no experience whatsoever in management.  

 Juventus had won their ninth League title in Italy in a row, the first time such a feat was achieved, and Sarri became the second manager in two years to be sacked immediately after winning another League title. However, since the restart of football after the lockdown, Juventus lost four out of their 12 games, including a cup final defeat to Napoli. Pirlo’s appointment to many will appear romantic and to others unmerited and irrational, but questions will only be answered based on next season’s performances, and all eyes are on Pirlo and his star player, Ronaldo, as they look for a tenth-successive title.

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